Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[Guest Anonymous]

why does everybody get concerned we havin electricity all day every day in every hoos it simply not necessary.

[Ghostrider]

^^^ That, is very much dependant on individual circumstance. If you are a "establishment designed and approved" "9 to 5" wage slave, and your house is empty all day five days a week as a result, it's not a problem if there was no power for a period during the day, or during the night for that matter, as you'd be asleep preparing for your next "9 to 5" stint.

 

Unfortunately, for the gray men in gray suits, such a robotic and externally structured lifestyle is only tolerated by a percentage of the population, there are a significant number of people who operate businesses from home, work irregular/unsocial hours etc etc, who have a need and the same right as everyone else to have power to hand on demand at a time convenient to them. It is simply just not possible to identify a time, day or night when the power could be turned off without great inconvenience to many.

[Njugle]

How about a switch by the door that cuts off everything but the fridge.

 

©Njugle 14/09/2007.

[Peatcutter]

It is hard to believe that the Charitable Trust have been conned into investing into the Viking Energy windfarm. It is certainly a high risk investment considering the hurdles that have to be overcome. Even if it gets the go ahead I have no doubt that the costs of this development will be far greater than initial estimates with obvious effects on anticipated profits, if any.

 

It is also clear from the local press that there is significant local opposition to the plans. So far there has been a lack of co-ordination of this opposition to the highly financed and well oiled PR job done by Viking Energy / S.S.E. It is most unfair that opposition to the windfarm has no such means of subsidy.

 

Nevertheless, the people of Shetland should follow the example of the good people of the Isle of Lewis in fighting against giant wind farm developments, councillors are not infallible!

[bonna]

Perhaps there's a (fairly silent so far) majority of people in Shetland who actually think the windfarm's a good idea.

 

Perhaps they don't particularly want to follow the example of Lewis, but would rather earn a living.......

[Sudden Stop]

^^^

The people of lewis were never given the option to make a profit, the windfarm was to be built with very little money going back to the local community. This certainly helped to focus the opposition, which probably is a large majority of the populus.

 

I think you're right though, the opposition to the shetland windfarm is almost certainly confined to a noisy minority.

 

There are quite a few differences between the two proposals, which you can spot pretty easily if you go to the lewis windfarm opposition website. The lewis proposal smacks of a large company swooping in to take advantage of something they have no rights to and damn anything that gets in the way.

 

If I were in lewis I would be opposed to it too, but I'm not. I live in shetland and I want our windfarm.

[Njugle]

I'd don't entirely agree with that, i think the vocal opposition is fairly small, relatively speaking, but that does not mean that the majority are for it by any means. There are many folk who are strongly opposed who attended the public meetings but are not of a mind to petition the press or form picket lines. I think it's closer to the truth that the silent majority splits into two parts. 1)some reservations but not strongly enough to get overly excited about it, (like many issues hereabouts) and 2) "Can't do anything about it so not interested". (Told to me by a number of country dwelling folk in the affected areas). And those who are for it tend to say so, though perhaps not shouting it from the rooftops.

There is, believe it or not, still fairly widespread ignorance about the whole thing, particularly it's scale. A friend of mine who works as a naturalist knew virtually nothing about it until after the public consultation was over. How does that happen? Don't ask me, i haven't a clue. Some people just do their own thing and ignore local 'issues' it seems. I think we all do to some extent, perhaps. I know i do at times.

 

I think it is of note that the vote in favour of it being supported by the Charry trust was only 8-7 in the majority. What does that tell us ?

[Ghostrider]

^^^ I'd tend to agree with Njugle, the majority opinion I'm hearing seems to be, "Hit's juist da Cooncil an dir fuilishnis agen, bit you needna spaek, eence dey git a bee idda bonnet aboot sumthin dir nae whitin dem..."

 

(Translation: It's just the Council and their foolishness again, but it's pointless to protest, as when they get fired up about somehing, there's no stopping them).

 

Personally I'll declare myself as a fence sitter, I'm considerably less than happy so many windmills covering so much area are involved. I also have reservations about how well they will survive a real stinker of a Shetland gale (Think New Year '92 and '93 [braer]), and the possibility of a lot of downtime/repair costs eating in to any profit. I also am pretty leery about the whole interconnector cable/connection & access charges etc. I'd prefer to see much more of the legal and financial arrangements signed and sealed in binding contracts before anything more is spent, "letters of understanding" and pretty plans are flimsy justification to spend Millions.

 

On the flip side, *if* the number crunchers have gotten their sums right and it can feed a significant income in to local coffers for years to come, god knows we need that the way the Council throws it out of the kitty again.

[islandhopper]

... It's just the Council and their foolishness again, but it's pointless to protest, as when they get fired up about somehing, there's no stopping them ...

May be not the council but probably the "trust" risking its status as a "charity" due to its involvement in high risk economic developments ...

[Malcolm]

What pisses me off is that it will cost Shetland £3m if the decision is no WTF!

 

They came here asking if they could put the wind farm on Shetland so why oh why should Shetland pay towards their costs !

 

That money could be better used to build affordable housing on the Islands.

[clanchief]

Previous posts have commented that there is probably not a high level of objection to the windfarm project.

 

However, interestingly, I note that in a report to the SIC's Planning department tomorrow outlining the planning process for this project the planning officer states :

 

"The project has the possibility of raising the highest level of public concern ever seen in Shetland on a planning matter" and also

 

"Wind farms can be very emotive subjects and officers can be affected personally by their involvement in the assessment of developments"

 

So clearly, the SIC are concerned about the potential level of objection and they are preparing their plan of action accordingly.

[Rasmie]

Can someone tell me what the windfarm will cost me and what return I will get on it?

Ignoring the blight on the landscape:

 

I have heard the following questions being muttered round the peat fire

How much are we, through our agencies, SIC/charitable trust etc. investing?

How much will we as taxpayers to Scottish/UK/European governments be investing?

How much will be borrowed in our name, if any?

What is the risk? Who pays if the whole project does not make a return...................is not sustainable?

Will Shetland be bankrupt and if so what then?

If there is any risk why should we (SIC, charitable trust etc.) be taking it on?

 

It seems strange to me that we should be looking to export electricity over 200 miles under the ocean. Wouldn't it be more prudent and greener for all to invest in a windfarm on the mainland UK?

[sheepshagger]

It seems strange to me that we should be looking to export electricity over 200 miles under the ocean. Wouldn't it be more prudent and greener for all to invest in a windfarm on the mainland UK?

 

get the connector in place then build the nuclear power station when the wind farm goes tits up maybe??

[Njugle]

So clearly, the SIC are concerned about the potential level of objection and they are preparing their plan of action accordingly.

 

Hence the previous public consultation process which, unlike any misconceptions we may have about it, was more likely a resource for VE to prepare themselves for the plethora of possible objections prior to entering the official planning consultation process. ie all issues raised in the public meetings will likely have official answers from VE now, rather than hitting the planning process 'raw' and running into all sorts of unexpected issues not accounted for in the application.

[Hentilaget]

Der's a lock o' hellery been spoken aboot dis, and der'll laekly be a lock maer spoken afore ony sense is. We need tae bigg a muckle mill apo da tap o' da toon hall, fir daers enouch o' wind der tae keep wir's an' da rest o' da countries economee gyaan fir noo till kingdom come!